By Bradley Shahenza
Nairobi — Heavy rains once again plunged sections of Nairobi into chaos last week, flooding expressways, national roads, and key residential areas. Motorists were stranded, traffic snarled, and many questioned why the county government’s long-promised clean-up supposedly to start in August, is still not evident in many flood-prone zones.
Residents and daily commuters reported flooding along the expressway and major roads, where blocked drains and overflowing stormwater have repeatedly forced partial road closures. Images circulating on social media showed water levels high enough to damage cars and breach barriers along these key routes.
The Nairobi County Government, along with agencies such as the Kenya Roads Authority (KeNRA) and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), had pledged in August to launch a comprehensive clean-up of the city’s drainage systems and to carry out maintenance of roads ahead of the rainy season. But several areas remain seriously vulnerable. Lang’ata Road and Valley Road have become recurrent problem spots. Riparian encroachment, improper waste disposal, and neglect of drainage maintenance are cited by experts as amplifying the flooding.
Calls are rising for accountability: how much of the clean-up budget has been passed? Which contractors have been engaged? What timelines are in place for rehabilitating expressway drainage lines and major national roads?
Meanwhile, Nairobi residents are paying the price not only in damaged property and disrupted transport, but in rising frustration with what many see as repeated failure to act. Unless the county government moves swiftly to fulfill the promise made in August, many fear Nairobi’s flooding menace will remain stubbornly perennial.
Public Service CS Geoffrey Ruku, earlier in the year, called for multi-agency action to unclog rivers, sewage lines, and drains, and urged mapping of drainage networks to ensure storm water flows unimpeded. Yet critics argue that these proposals have stalled, with promises made but deliveries lacking.
